


dream of me

by cthulu_sun



Series: onewe soulmate au [1]
Category: ONEWE (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Dreams, Light Angst, M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:33:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27329593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cthulu_sun/pseuds/cthulu_sun
Summary: and then you're looking up and harin is there, he's right there, and the butterflies burst from your chest. flowers spring up through the concrete. you are made of stardust.(the thing is, neither of you have said anything about this fragile, cautious wanting between you yet. it's not a secret, not anymore, and the others keep trying to push you to do something about it, but for the moment you prefer it like this. change is terrifying, and the thought of your relationship with your best friend becoming something else is enough to make you feel unsteady. nervous. so you haven't talked about it. or maybe you're just a coward. harin doesn't seem to mind waiting, either way.)-five soulmates and the dreams they share
Relationships: Ju Harin/Kang Hyungu | Kanghyun
Series: onewe soulmate au [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2001868
Kudos: 6





	dream of me

**Author's Note:**

> written for wevember day 6: dream of me
> 
> honestly this is a mess but I wanted to write it anyway

it starts with thunder, a harsh ringing in your ears. this is how your dreams always begin; you are lost, and a storm is coming. rain bites at your skin, clawing at your hands, your bare feet, your hair. a cold wind sweeps through the alleyway you're standing in, ruffling your clothes. you shiver. lightning slams into the earth behind you, alarmingly close, and you run, weaving your way through quiet side streets and empty shops until you reach a flickering streetlight. 

below it, eyes closed and head tilted up towards the rain, is dongmyeong.

"hyung," he says. his voice is loud and whining, and one eye slides open to glare at you. "you're late." 

time is a forgotten construct, in dreams. it is impossible for you to be late, but you know it would be futile to say anything, so you swallow the excuses on your tongue. dongmyeong has always found it easy to fall into the dreamspace, even when the rest of you struggle to find each other, so it makes sense that he'd get tired of waiting. 

(sometimes, like tonight, you find dongmyeong first, maybe because he looks for you. every other time, it's harin. the nights you don't find anyone at all you still wake up with his laughter echoing in your ears, the phantom feeling of his fingers brushing your cheek like a brand. perhaps it's pity that makes dongmyeong look for you when you'd prefer to be alone. perhaps it's just boredom. you've never been able to tell.)

"i was lost," you mutter eventually, the truth but not quite. almost. your hands itch, and a butterfly unfolds its wings between them, there and gone in an instant.

dongmyeong raises an eyebrow. "not waiting for someone else?" 

your cheeks burn. so what if you were? it's none of his business. especially if he keeps looking at you like this, eyes full of mirth and something too knowing. (as if he's never had a crush before. dongmyeong, who loves so much and so deeply, is hardly in a good position to be commenting on other people's love lives. you could tell him this, remind him of every time he's come skipping into the dreamspace with stars in his eyes and a flutter in his heart so strong the rest of you could feel it, but you don't, because he'd only find a way to turn the conversation back to you.)

an umbrella falls into your hands, and you push it open. the rain is heavier, now. harsh. dongmyeong slips in beside you, as close as he can get without you nudging him away, and points to a park ahead of you. 

"yonghoon-hyung's over there," he says. 

"alone?" 

yonghoon is the easiest one to find, if you're looking. he wears his heart on his sleeve, and his emotions are always so clear that once you know he's around it's hard to miss him. normally you all orbit around him like a magnet, so it's rare for him to be on his own. 

around you the air hums, a gentle warning. the storm is easing but it's still here, like an itch you can't reach. dongmyeong moves with the graceful glide of a swan and you stumble next to him, body wading through treacle. another butterfly settles on your hand, and you slap dongmyeong before he can say any of the things you can tell he's thinking. 

it's not that you're ashamed. secrets are hard to keep from your soulmates, after all, and you know none of them would ever judge you, but. but the fear is still there, clinging to you like a ghost, like an echo, and so the butterflies come. the secret is not a secret, because your dreams have been giving you away since you started sharing them. it's not shame, or embarrassment, really. just something you wish you could have kept to yourself a little longer. 

at least the butterfly is better company than a teasing, smirking dongmyeong, who is adamant that he knows everything there is to know without you saying a word. you keep the butterfly close to your chest, singing to it quietly as the two of you continue to walk, the park switching between getting closer and further away. sometimes the dreamspace is like this. 

there are nights when the dreamspace is a maze. a never ending emptiness that tugs at the edges of your soul. inside there is nothing except you, and the butterflies. (these are the worst nights. they don't happen often, but every time they do your heart sinks as you wonder if this is what your dreams will be like from now on. hollow. abandoned.) 

when you reach yonghoon he's crouched on a bench, hood pulled up over his ears, watching the rain. he's soaked through, and you feel dongmyeong's rush of concern as it collides with your own. 

"hyung?" somebody asks. it might have been you, but you can't really tell. 

yonghoon turns, lifting his head to look at you, and his smile lights up his face. pure joy hits you with all the force of a bullet and you almost fall backwards, overwhelmed.

"you're here!" he says, full of wonder, and something in you shifts with unease. 

"what's wrong?" dongmyeong asks, straightforward and blunt as ever, and you wince inwardly as yonghoon's expression clouds over. 

"yesterday was..." he trails off, unfurling into a sitting position. he seems a little more relaxed, a little more at ease. yesterday had not been good for you, either, so it's reassuring to know that yonghoon might have had empty dreams, too.

the dreamspace shudders, splitting down the middle and righting itself again. thunder rumbles in the distance. butterfly wings brush against your cheek. somewhere above you a bird screeches, a sound that slices your ears like a knife and the rain is heavier and the storm is coming it's always coming and your feet move like water and -

you stop. in front of you is a tree with blue leaves, standing tall and proud even in the strong wind tearing everything to pieces. you lean your head against its trunk, closing your eyes and concentrating on your breathing. the grass is cold, beneath you. somehow the dreamspace is more unsettling than it should be. 

"we need to go," you say, turning away from the tree. yonghoon rises to his feet, and allows dongmyeong to drag him along. 

the park melts, slowly, into another street, and standing at the end of it, arms crossed over his chest, is giwook. as soon as you come into view he's running and throwing himself at all three you, squishing everyone into a group hug. you suppress the urge to cringe. it's not that contact is unwelcome, exactly, because these are your soulmates and you love them, but it can be a little overwhelming. a little embarrassing. 

"i had the worst dream yesterday," giwook admits into your shoulder. there are stars in his hair. 

"me too," yonghoon says quietly. 

your stomach twists. flips over. something's wrong; you can feel it like you can feel the rain.

"same," you tell them, a heavy weight as it spills into the air. as one, all eyes turn to dongmyeong. 

he shrugs. "don't remember."

which is pretty much a yes. why dongmyeong even bothers to lie when all of you immediately know whenever he does is something you'll never understand. perhaps you're not meant to. 

a flower curls around your ankle, and the sight warms you. a quiet hope beating behind your ribcage. "harin's here." 

dongmyeong snorts. "missing your boyfriend?"

next to him, yonghoon stifles a laugh. at least he's feeling better, even if it is at your expense. 

"i'm so glad my suffering brings you entertainment, hyung." 

he slings an arm over your shoulder, and you shove him away. you hate both of them. what a shame that you only have two soulmates now. 

and then you're looking up and harin is there, he's _right there_ , and the butterflies burst from your chest. flowers spring up through the concrete. you are made of stardust. 

(the thing is, neither of you have said anything about this fragile, cautious wanting between you yet. it's not a secret, not anymore, and the others keep trying to push you to do something about it, but for the moment you prefer it like this. change is terrifying, and the thought of your relationship with your best friend becoming something else is enough to make you feel unsteady. nervous. so you haven't talked about it. or maybe you're just a coward. harin doesn't seem to mind waiting, either way.) 

when the five of you are together the dreamspace changes, fading into a familiar band room. you don't always play together, but this is the place all of you feel most comfortable. most at home. tonight, though, the room is different. cold. 

there, lying in pieces scattered across the floor, are your instruments. like a hurricane tore through the room while you were gone. like someone's ripped your soul apart, leaving the shards of it out on display. 

(and then, heart in your throat and shock pulsing through your veins, you wake up.) 

the day passes in a blur. you get flashes of emotions from the others, mainly the same panic that you're feeling, but for the most part everyone is silent. it's a relief when you go to sleep and hear thunder, the storm slowly approaching. 

harin comes to you first, this time. he seems calm. calmer than you, anyway, which really isn't saying much, but still. harin's always found it easy to hide. 

his hands are made of flower petals. a butterfly rests on the tip of your tongue. 

"i think i know what the problem is," he says, and you are filled with relief. of course harin knows already.

the rain pauses. "i'm listening," you say, because you always are, with him.

"we need to meet in person."

the words sound like he's speaking them underwater. there's a buzzing in your ears, a scratch in your throat. it's something you should have done years ago, really. most soulmates meet each other properly within a year of sharing dreams, but you'd been nervous, and the few times your parents brought it up you'd denied even wanting to. because meeting like this, in the dreamspace, is easy. it doesn't feel real. but meeting in person would change that, and the dreamspace would disappear, and you could lose all of them forever. 

you could lose all of them forever now, though, if you keep waiting. 

the rain has stopped. above you the sun peeks out through the clouds. 

"okay," you say, and it feels heavy, but not wrong. a promise. "we can." 

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!


End file.
